Charlie Gets A Puppy
by apishcan18
Summary: Charlie gets a puppy one stormy night when an unexpected visitor stops by. CharlieOC.
1. Charlie's Point of View

Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs or any of the characters in Numb3rs.I do own Shaylee Campbell, Stacy and Mark Hollis and Stormy.

**Charlie Gets A Puppy – Charlie's Point of View**

Lightning momentarily lit up the night sky. Dad and I had just finished eating dinner when the doorbell rang. Dad was busy cleaning up in the kitchen so I answered the door.

What greeted me was my girlfriend, Shaylee Campbell, dripping wet and holding a sodden, black bundle.

"Shay, what are you doing here?" I asked in surprise. She was supposed to be with her friends Stacy and Mark Hollis, who were visiting from Houston.

"I was on my way back from dropping Stace and Mark off at the airport when I spotted this," Shay tilted her head towards the black thing that I hadn't yet identified. "My apartment building doesn't allow pets and the animal shelter is closed. I was kinda hoping you could put him up for a night."

The hopeful look on Shay's face made my heart melt. Who could say no to that face? I for sure couldn't.

"Come in. Dad, do we have any old blankets or towels?" I closed the door behind Shay, making a mental note to find her some dry clothes.

"Yeah, somewhere. Why?" Dad walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.

Shay gave a small smile. "My good deed for the day?"

Dad's gaze fastened on the puppy in her arms. "You can put him in the spare bathroom until he's dry. I'll go get something to dry him off with. And, Charlie, get this poor woman some dry clothing."

Chuckling, I steered Shay and her cargo towards the bathroom.

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry about intruding." Shay truly looked sorry. I wasn't though. It meant more time with her. And there hadn't been a lot of it lately.

Together we sat down on the tiled floor of the seldom-used bathroom. Shay stroked the wet fur of the puppy as it whimpered a bit.

Dad returned minutes later with an armful of old towels. "Good thing I didn't throw these out," he said before leaving us alone again.

Carefully, the two of us dried off the black mutt as best we could. Finding a blanket in the closest, I spread it out in the living room for the puppy to sleep on.

"Come on, Shay. You need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch your death," I held out a hand to her. She paused a moment, watching the sleeping dog, then took my hand and let me lead her upstairs. Once I at least had her in some dry though big for her tiny frame clothes, we went back down stairs. The puppy was still sleeping peacefully.

Sitting down on the couch, I tugged Shay down beside me. Tucking her under my arm, I smiled down at her. She smiled back.

"So I guess we have a dog," I said.

Shay blinked in surprise. "You're going to keep it?"

"We, Shay, we're going to keep it. And 'it' needs a name."

Shay smiled at me, her brown eyes lighting up. "I guess I'm going to have stop by more often, you know, to make sure you're taking care of the dog." Her eyes were laughing at me while at the same time saying thank you.

Reaching up, she snaked her hand behind my neck and gently pulled my head downwards until our lips met.

With a grin, Shay suggested, "What about 'Stormy'?"

At that moment thunder sounded overhead. The puppy woke with a start.

"It's OK, sweetie," Shay soothed, her voice taking on the same calming tone that she used in her negotiations.

The puppy settled down after a bit and went back to sleep.

I had been thinking about the name Shay had suggested. Stormy. It fit in some weird way.

"OK. Stormy it is. Welcome to the family, Stormy."

**The End**


	2. Shay's Point of View

**Charlie Gets A Puppy – Shay's Point of View**

I glanced over at the side of the road, why I don't know but I did. And I got the briefest look of a black furry animal.

Tapping my brakes, I pulled over to the side of the road. Leaving the car idling, I grabbed my gun, cop's instincts taking over.

Walking carefully, I stumbled upon a puppy.

The black furry animal was a mutt. He was wet and cold and probably not more then a couple months old.

My heart went out to it.

Crooning softly, I picked up the puppy. He whimpered a little but didn't struggle. Instead he snuggled into my arms.

Realizing that I was now dripping wet as well as the puppy, I made a beeline for the car.

Bundling the puppy up in my spare jacket to keep him warm, I stowed my gun and thought about where I could take him. The animal shelter was closed; my apartment building doesn't allow pets.

Then it hit me. Charlie.

My boyfriend, Charlie Eppes, lived in a grand old house with his father. Hopefully they could take the puppy for the night until the animal shelter opened.

Crossing my fingers, I drove to Charlie's.

The downpour started as soon as I got out of the car. By the time I had the puppy and was ringing the doorbell, both of us were dripping wet.

Lightning flashed, followed by thunder.

The puppy squirmed in my arms.

"Shh. It's OK," I soothed softly.

The door opened to reveal Charlie. He looked surprised to see me. He glanced down at the black bundle in my arms.

"Shay, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was on my way back from dropping Stace and Mark off at the airport when I spotted this," I tipped my head towards the puppy. "My apartment building doesn't allow pets and the animal shelter is closed. I was kinda hoping you could put him up for a night."

It was then that realization dawned on Charlie's face. He now recognized the bundle in my arms as a puppy.

"Come in. Dad, do we have any old blankets or towels?" he asked, closing the door behind me.

"Yeah, somewhere. Why?" Alan Eppes walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. His gaze fastened on the puppy.

I gave a weak smile, my nervousness returning. Charlie was willing but would his father also be willing?

"My good deed for the day?" I suggested hopefully, praying that he wouldn't say no.

"You can put him in the spare bathroom until he's dry. I'll go get something to dry him off with. And, Charlie, get this poor woman some dry clothing."

Relief flooded through me. The puppy would have someplace to stay tonight.

Charlie was laughing softly as he lead me to the spare bathroom.

Together we sat down on the floor and waited for Alan to bring the towels. The puppy whimpered a bit. He was shivering in my arms.

My heart went out to the little guy. I wished I could keep him but I couldn't. Hopefully a nice family would adopt him.

Alan was carrying an armful of old towels.

"Good thing I didn't throw these out," he said before leaving Charlie and I to the messy task of drying off the puppy. Between the two of us, we finished in no time.

Charlie found a blanket for the puppy to sleep on and he spread it out in the living room. The puppy immediately went to sleep.

"Come on, Shay. You need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch your death," Charlie said, holding out a hand to me.

I hesitated, watching the puppy. I was in love. And it sucked. Finally I took the hand Charlie offered and allowed him to lead me upstairs. He found some old clothes of his mothers that were so big on my tiny frame that you could have fit three of me in them. I hated being so small at times.

Once I was dry and warm, Charlie and I went back downstairs to watch the puppy. Alan had disappeared.

Charlie sat down on the couch and tugged me down next to him. Wrapping an arm about my shoulders, he smiled down at me. Relaxing, I smiled back. I was enjoying the time with my boyfriend. Lately both us of had been really busy and there hadn't been enough time to spend with each other.

"So I guess we have a dog," Charlie commented.

Surprise stole over me. Had he just said what I thought he just said?

"You're going to keep it?"

"We, Shay, we're going to keep it. And 'it' needs a name."

I smiled again, this time all of me lighting up. "I guess I'm going to have stop by more often, you know, to make sure you're taking care of the dog." I was so happy that he decided to keep it that I didn't even stop to consider that Alan might not like it. Bad move for a hostage negotiator.

Reaching up, I curled my hand around the back of Charlie's neck and gently pulled his head down until our lips met. It was the only thank you I could think of. Just saying thank you didn't seem like enough.

Suddenly a name hit me. Stormy.

Grinning, I suggested, "What about 'Stormy'?"

As if on cue, thunder cracked overhead. The puppy woke with a start, whimpering and whining.

"It's OK, sweetie," I soothed; using the same voice that I used to calm down the people I negotiate with.

Soon the puppy settled down and went back to sleep.

Charlie surprised me again by suddenly announcing, "OK. Stormy it is. Welcome to the family, Stormy."

Happiness spread over me. This was how things were meant to be.

The End 


End file.
